If a bell were shaped by grinding a single crystal of quartz, it would ring for minutes after being tapped. In the same way, if a voltage is applied, quartz will bend or change its shape very slightly. This is a fairly common phenomenon called the Piezoelectric effect. The property that makes it an electronic miracle is the fact that, when compressed or bent, it generates a charge or voltage on its surface. Their accuracy comes from an amazing set of coincidences: Quartz - which is silicon dioxide like most sand - is unaffected by most solvents and remains crystalline to hundreds of degrees Fahrenheit. Quartz crystals have been in regular use for many years to give an accurate frequency for all radio transmitters, radio receivers and computers. The difficulty was in the selection of the integrated circuit technology that would function at sufficiently low power.
Only the type and the frequency of the crystal needed to be chosen. The quartz crystal is possibly thousands of times better for timing than the tuning fork, and quartz crystals had been around for many years. There was no problem with the choice of a timing element. Have you ever wondered why it is called a quartz watch? Or why quartz watches are so much more accurate than wind-up watches? In this edition of HowStuffWorks, you will learn all about the amazing electronic phenomenon called the quartz crystal and how it forms the heart of a quartz watch!
QUARTZ TUNING FORK FOR FREE
It is not uncommon to find quartz watches given away for free in boxes of cereal! You may see rose quartz the beautiful pink variety in inexpensive crystals and beauty rollers around the supermarket. Since then, the quartz watch has evolved so that either an LCD or a traditional mechanical (hour and minute hand) movement displays the time, and the price has fallen dramatically. Initially, these watches had red LED displays and they cost around $500 in the United States.
See pictures of amazing timepieces.ĭuring the 1970s, the "quartz watch" burst onto the scene as the newest high-tech gadget. How can they be so accurate? Find out why quartz makes such a great time keeper. Quartz watches actually use quartz crystals to keep time.
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